her flesh to his gaze.
Then, as if to prove his point, Kalum palmed her mound and squeezed, tweaking her nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Need pooled deep in her belly, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her. The ache behind her hard nub amplified as he licked a fiery path down to her navel. His teeth grazed her hip and a muffled cry passed her lips.
“Wait.” She stilled his hand. He glanced up at her while he stroked the area he’d nibbled on. “There’s…. You have to understand I—”
“Shhh,” he muttered. “It’s okay.” Kalum kissed her knuckles. He gripped the hem of her leggings and exposed the disfigured skin of her lower body. Healed lesions from cigarette burns dotted her lower stomach while wicked slice marks crisscrossed her pelvis. Each line, the last of which was deepest, stopped right above her pubic bone.
“My poor baby,” he crooned then pressed his lips to each jagged groove and puckered dot. “What did they do to you?”
Tears filled her eyes then rolled down her cheeks as he lovingly touched every inch of her. “You’re”—she swallowed hard—“you’re not supposed to like them or-or want to touch them.”
“Why,” he asked, wiping her tears away.
“Because they’re ugly,” she cried. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. “Because no one is supposed to ever want me.”
“Ah, sugar.” He sighed, standing. “Come here.” He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her over to the bed. Laying her down, he then came up beside her. “Do they hurt still?” He kept his tone soft, soothing away the anguish coursing through her.
“No.” She shook her head, gazing at him.
“Are they sensitive?” He ran his finger along the deepest of the scars.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He began to kiss them again with reverence while removing her boots and pulling her stockings off the rest of the way. “You know what I see?”
“What?”
“I see life.” He caressed her. Eased the tattered parts of her soul, which had never really healed. “I see someone who’s traveled through the fiery depths of hell and came out the other side a survivor. I see a strong woman. A beautiful woman. I see my mate.” He tugged on her silk panties, drawing them off of her. “So pretty.” He ran his fingers through her slit then lifted them to his mouth. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
Slipping between her legs, Kalum licked and nibbled a path to her thighs. Once he got to their apex, he breathed deep and groaned, nuzzling her sex. He glanced up at her, and she saw his Wolf pushing forward, peering at her with curiosity. The draw of his weighted stare called to her Wolf, drawing her out of the darkness and into the light. He growled at her in acknowledgement then nipped her lower belly.
“Why aren’t you naked?” she asked, trying to distract him.
A wicked smile tugged at his lips before he dragged his tongue through her slit. “Would you like to see me naked?” he asked, kicking his boots off.
She bit her lip and nodded. “Yes,” she groaned as he licked her again.
He went to his knees and unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling it out of his jeans, he made quick work of the last two buttons then shed the garment. A white undershirt molded his abs and broad chest. Never had she been so jealous of an inanimate object before. Fawn’s mouth watered as he gripped the hem and pulled it off, exposing his sun-kissed upper torso. A smattering of silver-and-black hair covered his pectoral muscles and narrowed to a thin strip bisecting his stomach muscles, and traveled south below the waist of his jeans. A delicious thrill rolled through her at the prospect of what hid beneath the fly of his pants.
The cocky expression on his face never faltered as he slid off her bed and stood before her, grasping the front of his jeans. Her breath came in soft exhales as he flicked the tab on his Wranglers and drew the zipper down. The thick flesh of his erection bulged, straining against the
Then, as if to prove his point, Kalum palmed her mound and squeezed, tweaking her nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Need pooled deep in her belly, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her. The ache behind her hard nub amplified as he licked a fiery path down to her navel. His teeth grazed her hip and a muffled cry passed her lips.
“Wait.” She stilled his hand. He glanced up at her while he stroked the area he’d nibbled on. “There’s…. You have to understand I—”
“Shhh,” he muttered. “It’s okay.” Kalum kissed her knuckles. He gripped the hem of her leggings and exposed the disfigured skin of her lower body. Healed lesions from cigarette burns dotted her lower stomach while wicked slice marks crisscrossed her pelvis. Each line, the last of which was deepest, stopped right above her pubic bone.
“My poor baby,” he crooned then pressed his lips to each jagged groove and puckered dot. “What did they do to you?”
Tears filled her eyes then rolled down her cheeks as he lovingly touched every inch of her. “You’re”—she swallowed hard—“you’re not supposed to like them or-or want to touch them.”
“Why,” he asked, wiping her tears away.
“Because they’re ugly,” she cried. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. “Because no one is supposed to ever want me.”
“Ah, sugar.” He sighed, standing. “Come here.” He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her over to the bed. Laying her down, he then came up beside her. “Do they hurt still?” He kept his tone soft, soothing away the anguish coursing through her.
“No.” She shook her head, gazing at him.
“Are they sensitive?” He ran his finger along the deepest of the scars.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He began to kiss them again with reverence while removing her boots and pulling her stockings off the rest of the way. “You know what I see?”
“What?”
“I see life.” He caressed her. Eased the tattered parts of her soul, which had never really healed. “I see someone who’s traveled through the fiery depths of hell and came out the other side a survivor. I see a strong woman. A beautiful woman. I see my mate.” He tugged on her silk panties, drawing them off of her. “So pretty.” He ran his fingers through her slit then lifted them to his mouth. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
Slipping between her legs, Kalum licked and nibbled a path to her thighs. Once he got to their apex, he breathed deep and groaned, nuzzling her sex. He glanced up at her, and she saw his Wolf pushing forward, peering at her with curiosity. The draw of his weighted stare called to her Wolf, drawing her out of the darkness and into the light. He growled at her in acknowledgement then nipped her lower belly.
“Why aren’t you naked?” she asked, trying to distract him.
A wicked smile tugged at his lips before he dragged his tongue through her slit. “Would you like to see me naked?” he asked, kicking his boots off.
She bit her lip and nodded. “Yes,” she groaned as he licked her again.
He went to his knees and unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling it out of his jeans, he made quick work of the last two buttons then shed the garment. A white undershirt molded his abs and broad chest. Never had she been so jealous of an inanimate object before. Fawn’s mouth watered as he gripped the hem and pulled it off, exposing his sun-kissed upper torso. A smattering of silver-and-black hair covered his pectoral muscles and narrowed to a thin strip bisecting his stomach muscles, and traveled south below the waist of his jeans. A delicious thrill rolled through her at the prospect of what hid beneath the fly of his pants.
The cocky expression on his face never faltered as he slid off her bed and stood before her, grasping the front of his jeans. Her breath came in soft exhales as he flicked the tab on his Wranglers and drew the zipper down. The thick flesh of his erection bulged, straining against the
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